this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
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Almost three years since the deadly Texas blackout of 2021, a panel of judges from the First Court of Appeals in Houston has ruled that big power companies cannot be held liable for failure to provide electricity during the crisis. The reason is Texas’ deregulated energy market.

The decision seems likely to protect the companies from lawsuits filed against them after the blackout. It leaves the families of those who died unsure where next to seek justice.

...

This week, Chief Justice Terry Adams issued the unanimous opinion of that panel that “Texas does not currently recognize a legal duty owed by wholesale power generators to retail customers to provide continuous electricity to the electric grid, and ultimately to the retail customers.”

The opinion states that big power generators “are now statutorily precluded by the legislature from having any direct relationship with retail customers of electricity.”

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[–] mateomaui@reddthat.com 90 points 10 months ago (4 children)

State motto should be “Welcome to Hell.”

[–] NegativeInf@lemmy.world 39 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 12 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I wish this state would split into multiple smaller states. Not all of us who live here are conservative nut jobs. Let us have our autonomy from the red counties.

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They know they need the entirety of the size of the state to overcome any of the larger metro areas. Break that up and they’ll lose the power & prestige it brings in the Electoral College. They’ll never give that up, hence the massive voter suppression.

[–] cerement@slrpnk.net 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

fun little thought experiment: Texas secedes from the US but then the metro centers secede from Texas and rejoin the US (Dallas taking banking with them, Austin taking the capital, San Antonio taking the Alamo, …) – we can let them keep scenic Midland and Odessa, but Big Bend National Park and Johnson Space Center as well as all the military bases are federal property …

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Oh yah I’m all in, but then to drive to any other area I’d have to cross into the badlands. Can we take the interstates too with the big cities?

[–] cerement@slrpnk.net 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

well they were paid for with federal tax dollars and we know how much Texans love paying taxes …

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 1 points 10 months ago

My thought as well. Let’s do this!

[–] library_napper@monyet.cc -1 points 10 months ago

Even Austin?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That guy with all the exes who live in Texas better be worried because Hell is freezing over.

[–] mateomaui@reddthat.com 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No worries, that’s why he hangs his hat in Tennessee, which probably comes with its own issues.

[–] Bonesince1997@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] mateomaui@reddthat.com 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Is Tennessee one of those states? Can never understand how the “save the children” crowd and the “marry ‘em too young to know better” crowd intersect.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Because they don't want to "save the children" for the sake of the children but for the sake of their fragile egos that can't handle the idea that their wife might have had other experiences to compare with.

[–] LeadSoldier@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago

I had to live in HEll Paso because I was stationed there in the army. Iraq was better. The good news is I was able to leave.

[–] CH3DD4R_G0BL1N@sh.itjust.works 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

“Don’t mess with Texas! (We do it enough ourselves)”

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

"Don't mess with Texas! (We reserve the right to mess with you)"

[–] Quaternions@lemmy.world 39 points 10 months ago

Yet another reason why I'll never live in Texas.

[–] RampageDon@lemmy.world 28 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Remember when Texas was threatening to secede and then everyone realized the state just falls apart when they have any kind of weather besides 90 and sunny.

[–] rifugee@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago

"Was" threatening to secede? This is from like a week ago: https://www.newsweek.com/texas-independence-usa-secession-1852816

[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Texans sure must love being abused by their GOP rulers.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 1 points 10 months ago

Stockholm Syndrome

[–] Pratai@lemmy.ca 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

And Texans should have no legal responsibility to pay taxes.

[–] XTornado@lemmy.ml 2 points 10 months ago

Or the bill tbh...

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 4 points 10 months ago

All this really means is that the life insurance companies won't be able to transfer their financial liability to the power companies.

[–] Vaginal_blood_fart@sh.itjust.works 2 points 10 months ago

Shit states gonna shit state..what a joke of a dump.

[–] DevCat@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago (1 children)

When you create an account with a utility, aren't you creating a contract with them? What happened to contractual duty?

[–] Zippy@lemmy.world -1 points 10 months ago

Your contact is to pay for the power they provide. It is a regulated field so if something fails, then it is up to the regulators to cover the costs of they want more redundancy but 100 percent guarantees are not possible. Solar doesn't provide all days and wind can be gone for weeks. Do you think you should be able to sue them for that?

[–] library_napper@monyet.cc -1 points 10 months ago

Are they allowed to also selectively release electricity to the highest bidder, so that only rich people get power when the system is stressed?